


Set Adrift

by KertBert, Mayonayys



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempting Slow Burn, Characters from Alternate Universe, F/M, Multi, Multiple original characters - Freeform, OC insert, OOC Bad Guys, Original Character-centric, Revised Version, Still deciding on the Olivia pairing, slight crack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-07-10 14:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15951353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KertBert/pseuds/KertBert, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mayonayys/pseuds/Mayonayys
Summary: Olivia  and  Kamryn  just  wanted  a  vacation.  To  get  away  from  work  during  the  short  lull  of  business.  This  wasn͛t  what  they  paid  for  and  they  would  like  a  full  refund.  Granted  they  manage  to  make  it  home  before  they  are  deemed  to  be  of  no  further  use  to  their  unwanted  Rescuers.  The  two  must  battle  their  own  consciousness  and  fears  as  they  walk  further  in  to  the  unknown  to  try  and  make  it  back.  Hopefully  there  won͛t  be  any  detours.  But  life  doesn͛t  always  just  give  you  lemons,  sometimes  it  pelts  you  with  them.Rewrite of The Strangest Little Light





	1. Wipe Out

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! We weren't planning to upload until we had a good stock of chapters, but Its been about a month since we worked on this. Things happen, but we're both hoping to get some inspiration and continue on this journey. These chapters are turning out to be a LOT longer than the last editions, so we hope that compensates for lack of updates...  
> Any and all feedback is appreciated and greatly wanted.  
> Thanks for giving our story a go, and we hope you enjoy it! ♥

A speaker buzzed loudly, catching the attention of the large cruise ships passengers. A throat cleared through the speaker before a clear, enthusiastic voice could be heard ringing through the multiple levels of the ship. “Ahoy, passengers, this is your Captain! I hope you are all enjoying this absolutely wonderful getaway. The sun is bright, the water is calm, and there are plenty of activities for you to enjoy here on the wonderful Regal Atlantic Cruise Ship!” Papers could be heard shuffling in the background before the captain cleared his throat again. “We are currently in bound for passage through the Bermuda Triangle! Now I would just like to say that legends are just legends, we have made this trip dozens of times with no problems. That being said I would like for you all to relax and enjoy the ride!” The speaker cut off with an audible click as the sounds of passengers resuming their activities quickly rose in volume.

On the deck near a large pool a young brunette sighed, adjusting herself in a lounge chair she was currently coveting from other passengers, trying to stay in the relative safety of the shade an umbrella perched above the chair was providing. She peered over her oversized sunglasses at a blonde woman who lounged blissfully next to her under the harsh rays of the sun. A frown appeared on her face, “How exactly are you golden brown while I'm lobster red?” She poked tentatively at the reddening skin on her thigh, wincing at the slight burn.

The blonde smiled and peeked up at the woman, shading her eyes with a hand. “Well, Livvy, maybe if you actually went outside more than once a week, you would be past the burning phase and be as amazingly ‘golden brown’ as I am”. 

Livvy pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, “Me being tan is just not meant to be, Kam. What can I say? My family has been as pale as ghosts for seven generations.” Her mouth cracked into a smirk as she looked over at Kam.

Kam rolled her eyes with a soft laugh, closing her eyes and resuming her sunbathing as she replied, “Not even ghosts are as white as you. I invite you to the gym and to go tanning with me all the time, it’s not my fault you insist to refuse. Your resemblance to a certain shellfish is your own fault”.

Livvy’s smirk faltered and she rolled her eyes, “My genetic disposition for being weak to the sun's rays is not my fault. My family's people were used to snow covered hills-”

Her friend cut her off with an amused snort, “You are half Italian! Don’t make up silly nonsense because you are a hermit”.

It was silent for a moment. When Kam heard a deep voice mumbling something over where her friend was, she quickly looked over. An unknown man was squatting beside the chair, halfway hovering over the brunette, who was shrinking away with a deep frown prominent on her face. Though Kam didn’t catch what he had said to the girl, she could only guess it was as sleazy as his grin.

Shooting up into a sitting position, Kam glared at the man and cleared her throat to get his attention, “Excuse me, can we help you?”

The man’s eyes stayed on Livvy for a few seconds after Kam spoke, but they slowly went to rest on the face of the blonde. “I just asked your friend here if she wanted to join my friend and I for dinner tonight.” He gestured to another man standing a bit away, who was very obviously uncomfortable with the situation his friend was causing. “But it seems as though I broke her.” He gave a small chuckle before letting his eyes drop to Kam’s chest for a moment, “You could join us too, if that would make her more comfortable.”

Kam scoffed at the man, eyes roving over him with an unimpressed look, “You can’t even score one woman for your little ‘dinner’ plans and you think that you can talk both of us into suffering your company?” She stood from her lounger, grabbed Livvy’s arm, and pulled her up with her, the brunette quickly snagging her kimono bathing suit coverup. “We’ll be going now.”

As the two women walked away Livvy let out a heavy sigh and relaxed her shoulders. She pushed her large sunglasses up and on top of her head as Kam turned around to look past Livvy and glare at the man who had finally gotten up and looked like he was heading to bug some other poor woman. 

Her gaze then went to the man that the creep had pointed out as his friend. He was now hiding himself behind an umbrella table, clearly embarrassed.

“I think I'm gonna go grab something at the bar.” Livvy fanned her face as she looked at the small line in front of said bar. 

Kam looked at Livvy, appearing to be in thought, looking at the creep who was now definitely occupied with some other woman now, before turning her hard gaze back to his friend. “Grab me something too, a Mudslide, I’ll be right back.”

Livvy shrugged and walked away to the bar area, pulling on her coverup and continuing to fan herself as she went. Kam watched her until she made it to the bar before turning and walking towards the man behind the umbrella. She saw him tense up when he noticed her and had to force herself not to roll her eyes.

“Hey. You.”

She had stopped in front of him, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. “Are you a part of that?” She gestured vaguely in the direction of where she had last saw his friend.

The man shook his head slowly, eyeing the blonde in front of him warily as she scoffed, “Oh so you were just standing idle by while he goes around giving unwanted attention to women and harassing them?”

He started to open his mouth, obviously about to defend himself, but Kam cut him off, raising her hand between them, “Listen. If you don’t want to get dragged into these situations, or get in trouble, then maybe you should find better friends, yeah?”

She lowered her hand and looked at him, noticing he was probably Livvy’s age. She softened her glare a bit and sighed, “Seriously kid, don’t be friends with assholes like that”.

With that she turned and walked away, heading towards her friend and hopefully a decently made Mudslide.

* * *

 

After a few drinks and some pleasant conversation with the bartender, the two women made their way to the side of the decidedly less crowded pool. Livvy sat and dipped her feet in the water as Kam lowered herself into the pool, sighing at the chill of the water.

“We really needed this, Liv”, Kam smiled peacefully as she moved to float on her back. 

Liv smiled and rested an elbow on her knee, chin in her hand, “Yeah, I know. The office has been really busy this year, I’m glad I got to actually help out and not just fetch coffee though...”

The blonde chuckled under her breath and peeked over at her, “I’m not, you know my order better than I do. I haven’t had a decent cup of coffee in months!”

Liv frowned but eyed her friend playfully before sticking her tongue out at her.

“Yeah well, now you will never have one! I quit! I’ll go to Hawaii or something and find me a man and he will fetch MY coffee” She grinned broadly as she spoke, “I’ll send you pictures of my amazing coffee while you cry in to your cup of shitty coffee and regret ever abusing me!”

Kam straightened and laughed out at Liv’s ridiculousness, splashing at her, “Since when did I abuse you, you big baby?”

Liv let out an indignant squawk as the water hit her, moving to splash her back but falling back before she could.

The water in the pool started to slosh around them, spilling over onto the deck. The speaker crackled and clicked on as Kam attempted to climb out of the pool, sliding around and being dragged by the water before finally finding a grip. 

“Passengers, this is your Captain speaking. We are entering rough waters and a storm is approaching. We ask that all passengers return to their rooms or the dining areas below deck during the duration of the storm. Remain calm, the crew and staff can assist anyone requiring it and I'd like to remind you that this is a common occurrence and we should be back to smooth sailing soon enough”

Kam had pulled Liv up by her arm, keeping hold as they tried to maintain balance. The ship was rocking in the harsh waves making their progress across the deck slow. Other passengers slipped and slid around them while trying to get off deck. A shrill ringing was building up in their ears as they reached the bar area. Liv grimaced, fighting the urge to cover her ears as she looked around noticing many other passengers doing the same.

The two women could only hold on to the bar stools that were bolted into the floor as the rocking got worse and the ringing got painfully loud. Kam’s grip on Liv’s arm tightening to try and get the brunette to look at her. Liv could see her friends mouth moving but couldn't hear anything above the shrill noise in her ears.

She tried to focus on the red of her friends' mouth, trying to read her lips, but the edges of her vision were blurring and she felt a panic attack bubbling up in her. Liv reached out a hand to grasp at the one holding her arm, squeezing a bit too tight. She couldn’t see Kam’s reaction if she had, her vision whiting out.

Liv squeezed her eyes shut against the seemingly harsh white as she felt the panic attack surface, feeling more than hearing her breath become harsh and quick. 

Liv felt the hold on her arm go slack and fall away before everything blacked out.

* * *

Everything hurt. Mainly her head. There was a slight ringing in her ears that made her head throb. She licked at her lips, her mouth dry and her throat scratchy. 

“Olivia?”

The sound of her name was too loud and she winced away from it, trying to open her eyes.

“Livvy, hon, come on. Open your eyes”, the voice cracked mid-sentence and she felt something touching her face, holding and stroking her cheeks.

Olivia finally forced her eyes open and regretted it immediately, squeezing them shut against the brightness. She heard what sounded like a relieved sigh and felt the pressure on her cheeks, hands she slowly realized, lift as something slipped down her forehead to settle on her nose. 

She cracked her eyes open, the harsh light suddenly more bearable. Opening her eyes fully, her eyes took their time focusing. Kam’s face was the first thing that came into focus, her mind too fuzzy to pay attention to anything else. 

Kam felt herself relax, though only slightly, as Olivia slowly came to. She had put Olivia’s sunglasses on her, figuring it was too bright for her.

“Kamryn? What...” Olivia’s voice broke before she could finish her question, trying to bring her hands up to massage her temples.

Kamryn nodded her head, smiling at the other girl despite clearly being concerned, grabbing Liv’s hands and pushing them back by her sides.

“Shh, it’s okay. Don’t move too much, just breathe and relax. I’m right here”

Olivia barely managed a slight nod of her head before leaning it back against whatever she was propped up on.  “Head hurts...”

“I know”, Kam brushed some hair out of the girl's face, “You can rest, I got you”

Liv relaxed at her friends' words, giving in to the need to close her eyes. As her breath evened out and she fell asleep, Kamryn pet her hair, soothing her.

After a few minutes Kamryn stood, her legs sore and protesting. She looked around, feeling fear snake its way into her chest as she took in the forest around them. She inhaled deeply, releasing the breath as she glanced at the sleeping brunette, steeling herself.

“It’ll be okay. We are fine”

She kept whispering reassurances to herself as she walked around, studying their surroundings but never with Olivia leaving her vision.

After a few minutes of looking around, stepping on hundreds of sharp rocks and thorny plants scrapping along her bare legs and feet, Kam spotted a stream. Making a mental note of which direction it was in, she slowly headed back to Olivia, feeling a bit better knowing they had access to water.

It was warm and slightly humid, and as long as it stayed that way she wouldn’t have to worry about them freezing. She carefully lowered herself beside Liv, leaning back against the tree she had managed to prop the girl up against. She began to slowly stretch out her sore muscles as she thought of the situation they were in.

Kamryn was worried, she wasn’t incompetent but she really did not know anything about survival in the woods. They got lucky with the stream, but she didn’t even know if the water was drinkable. She hoped the weather stayed warm, because they had nothing to cover with and they were in their swimsuits. Olivia had her bathing suit coverup but it was thin and wouldn’t help her much. Kam figured she could try to start a fire but didn’t know if she would be lucky enough to succeed. If she were to be honest with herself, she was wondering how they were in the middle of the woods in the first place. She didn’t linger on the thought, more worried about keeping the two of them safe.

Kamryn stopped her stretching and looked over at Olivia, a slight frown on her face as she wondered if the younger girl new anything about camping or the like. She wanted to chuckle at the thought of Olivia, who was indoors ninety-five percent of the time, camping. Kam could just imagine the girl complaining about the bugs the whole time, whining to go home to the air conditioner and to her bed.

Her thoughts drifted to when she woke up, sprawled out on the forest floor a few feet away from Olivia.

 Kamryn had woken up to the worst migraine she had ever had, the aching in her muscles adding to the throbbing in her head. She remembered how she just laid there for what felt like hours, trying to will the headache away. When the throbbing had reduced to a bearable ache she had opened her eyes, squinting at the brightness. It had taken her a while to focus her mind enough to move her head and look around.

Once she had spotted Olivia curled up into herself in the dirt she had forced her protesting limbs to move. 

Her head still hurt, but it was tolerable. Kamryn was thirsty too. Her mouth felt like she tried to eat sand. Looking at Liv and then off in the direction of the stream, she sighed. It wasn’t close enough to keep Olivia in sight, she would have to wait for her to wake up and help her to the stream as well.

Kam’s eyelids felt heavy but she refused to let herself fall asleep, listening to the sound of birds in the trees nearby instead. Stretching periodically helped keep her awake and soothe her muscles. The sun was still high in the trees above them and she hoped Livvy woke up before it got too dark to make their way to the stream.

Two mental games of solitaire later, Kam finally heard the girl next to her start to stir.

Olivia woke up sans headache, but her body was stiff and heavy. Hearing something shift beside her, she opened her eyes. Blinking a few times as her eyes focused, she wondered if she was dreaming about the pretty forest surrounding her.

Movement out of the corner of her eye had her focusing on Kam. The blonde was smiling at her softly as she reached out and pushed the sunglasses she was wearing up to rest on top of her head. Why was she wearing sunglasses? The woods around them looked even more breathtaking and vibrant without the tint to impede the colors. 

“Kamryn?” 

It took Olivia a second to work the word out of her dry mouth, but her voice managed to stay steady.

Kamryn’s sigh of relief confused Liv, but she didn’t mention it as the blonde moved to stand up.

“Yeah. Come on, let’s get you up so you can stretch, I'm sure you're as stiff as a board”, Kam held her hand out to her as she spoke, her voice sounding a bit raspy.

Kamryn’s smile brightened as Olivia managed to lift her arm and grasp the hand offered to her. Kam pulled her friend to her feet, holding on to her in case she lost her balance.

Steadying herself, Olivia smiled at Kam before trying to stretch out her limbs without falling over. Grumbling as Kamryn chuckled at her, she worked her way through the stretching, stopping to massage at her shoulders and neck every once in a while.

“So... This isn’t a dream then?”, Liv’s voice was quiet, still easily heard in the stillness of the woods around them.

Kam’s smile faltered before falling completely, pursing her lips. “No”

It was silent as Olivia finished stretching, rolling her shoulders and glancing over at the quiet blonde. Liv looked her over, registering that they were both still in their swimsuits and noticing the scratches and cuts along Kam’s legs and feet.

“What happened to your legs?”

Kamryn blinked at Olivia a few times before looking down at herself.

“Oh... I was looking around. There are a lot of rocks and thorns.” She paused for a minute, looking off to her left, “I found a stream, I don’t know if the water is drinkable but it's something”

The thought of water had both women focusing on how dry their mouths were. 

“Come on, let’s go find out I guess,” grabbing Olivia's hand as she talked, Kam started walking, guiding Olivia as best as she could through the underbrush. 

When they reached the stream, Liv had gotten a bit cut up as well. Kamryn's legs taking the brunt of it as she walked in front and tried to mostly clear the path of the thorny vines weaving through the undergrowth. 

The water in the small stream was clear as it trickled over the rocks, flowing passed them. Olivia was the first to crouch down, scooping up the water in her hands and gulping it down.

As she went in for more, Kam joined her. After their thirst was quenched, they both settled onto the ground by the stream. Kamryn had taken to lightly splashing the water up on her legs to wash away the bits of dried blood from her skin while Olivia drew her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on top of her knees. 

Liv stared at the water as it flowed by, “Do you remember anything?”

The blonde paused in her movements, giving her legs one more splash before turning to face Olivia, “No. Well... I remember there was a storm coming... but nothing after that”

Liv gave a slight nod, “Me too. How are we even here? We can’t realistically go from the middle of the ocean to waking up in the woods.”

“No, you can't,” Kam chewed on her lip for a second before she stood, trying to brush the dirt from her body. “We shouldn’t stay here, I don’t know anything about surviving out here and bikinis won't help us if the temperature drops. Not to mention we need food. If we're lucky we aren’t too far in the woods”

Olivia looked up at her, her brow furrowing, “Aren’t we supposed to stay in one spot and wait for help?”

Kamryn looked away from Olivia, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, “Liv...I don’t... I think we are on our own. Normally, yeah, you wait. But... This isn’t normal. We have no idea how we got here, and somehow, I don’t think anyone knows we are here. I just think it's best if we keep moving and try to get out of the woods, we’ll stay by the stream. Don’t want to risk our water source”

Olivia frowned as she stood, she knew that you were supposed to stay in one spot when lost, but had to agree with Kamryn. This wasn’t normal, this whole thing made her uneasy and she admitted to herself that she didn’t want to stick around to see what predators lurked in these woods at night. 

Deciding to travel downstream, the two walked in silence, wrapped up in their own thoughts.

The sun was low in the sky, washing everything in tints of red and orange as the last warm rays of the day started to fade away. They soon came across a wooden bridge that stretched across the small stream, a large dirt road going off in either directions. The path looked well-traveled, which gave them hope of finding others soon.

After looking off into both directions, they quickly decided to go left, leaving the bridge to fade behind them. With their hopes high, the conversation flowed between the two women. Staying away from the topic of their situation, they instead talk about the book they had finished editing before they had left on their cruise.

“It was horrible, Kamryn. You know it. I know it. The author knew it, and so did Calvin. It was sappy, cliché, and rushed. The only reason he agreed to publish that rubbish was as a personal favor for his cousin, who is dating the woman”

“Listen, The Strangest Little Light wasn’t the best romance to come through our office, that I will admit. But the author has potential! Who knows, maybe her next volume will be a best seller”

Olivia gave an unladylike snort and rolled her eyes, “Doubtful. She needs to learn how to develop her characters. The plot was shit and non-existent, and the romance developed way too fast with no indication on  _why_  or  _how_  the characters developed feelings for one another”

Kamryn shrugged her shoulders, “I mean I agree. But if she can learn to develop these characters, have them grow and change, along with coming up with and sticking to a real plot? She may actually make some money. Besides that’s why Calvin handed her over to us, besides that personal favor bit. We know what we are doing and we can help her. We weren't with her through her process of The Strangest Little Light, but we will be for the next” She shrugged again and shot a smile over at Liv, “I think she has some hidden potential.”

Olivia looked at her, unconvinced. “Yeah. Very hidden. Lost city to never be found again, hidden”

Kam laughed at Liv’s pinched expression, “We will just have to wait and see; besides, we have published worse novels. Sadly.”

Olivia nodded, but kept quiet, the slight smile that had been there faded as she suddenly realized how her feet hurt from the uneven dirt road. She just lolled her head to one side and sighed, not really feeling like continuing the pleasant conversation. 

Kamryn looked over at her friend out of the corner of her eye, noting the nearly blank expression on the usually expressive woman’s face. She too let out an exhausted sigh, eyes settling on the seemingly endless road ahead. 

The two walked silently for what felt like forever. The sun was barely lighting the sky and the already shady forest around them had become darker. The warmth in the air was quickly fading with the sun, setting a slight chill in the air. 

Olivia wrapped her coverup tighter around her, the thin material not doing much to ward off the faint cold. She shuddered as a chill went down her spine, inhaling sharply as she clutched her arms around herself.

Kamryn looked over at her friend, concerned by the sudden sound coming from her. Moving to walk closer to her, thinking that the little bit of extra body heat would help. As she moved she felt a sharp stab in her right foot, causing her to stumble and let out a curse under her breath. 

“What’s wrong?” Olivia worriedly blurted out, her arms reaching out to steady Kamryn as she picked her foot off the ground. 

Both of their brow’s furrowed when they saw the jagged rock sticking out of the soft arch of Kamryn’s foot and Kamryn let out a hiss. Her hand went to hover over the rock as she quickly contemplated what to do, leaning more on Olivia for support.

“Kam, I don-” Olivia started, but was interrupted by Kamryn’s pained gasp as she pulled the pointed rock out of her foot. She dropped the rock to the ground, a small stream of blood beginning to trickle out of the wound. 

Acting quickly, Kamryn pulled the cloth headband that was holding her bangs back out of her hair, making it fall down into her face, all while Olivia kept her steady. 

Kamryn cursed loudly as she hesitantly dabbed at the wound with the cloth. She let out another hiss of pain before wrapping the cloth around her foot and tying it.

Kamryn started to place her foot back on the ground when she felt Olivia stiffen, still focused on her new wound, she didn’t pay it much attention, until she was surprised by the voice of a man.

“Well now, that looks like an infection waiting to happen.”

Kamryn’s gasped, her head shooting up to see two cloaked figures’ in front of them. 

“Shit.”


	2. Ruffian and Thugs!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamryn and Olivia encounter some ruffians... Things don't go so well, but certainly better than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This *may* have been ready since December... and we *may* just be really horrible at updating.  
> Regardless, I hope you all like the chapter.  
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated and encouraging!

The loud bang of a heavy door shutting echoed into the still quiet of a long hallway. The faint sound of quick, light footsteps and the whispers of cloth shifting filled in the silence. Another door opened and the footsteps ceased.

“There has been some sort of disturbance to the north...” A hushed feminine voice spoke.

“What do you mean a disturbance?” One could practically hear the man who spoke furrowing his brow.

They were both silent for a moment, before the ruffling of cloth could be heard. “Leader sensed  _ something _ near the border of Grass. He said that it was strangely familiar but couldn’t place it.”

The man let out a breath through his nose, before closing the door, and heading back off in the direction he had come from.

\-------

They walked in the darkening woods along the road silently. They had slowed from their run, sensing a presence nearby. Whoever it was, they were very skilled at hiding their chakra, neither of the two men traveling together could sense it. The target was not, however, quiet. 

The two men stopped, lingering at the edge of the woods, accessing the women in front of them. They certainly didn’t look like ninja, more like civilians that went for a swim, seeing how both women were in swimsuits. It would also make sense with how noisy they were traveling. But it didn’t seem right with how well they hid their chakra. There wasn’t even a hint of it, even when one of the women faltered and cursed loudly.

The shorter of the two, a brunette, had a thin cover on that certainly wasn’t helping her with the chill in the air that had come when the sun had set. She was currently holding her taller companion steady. It looked as if the Blonde had a rock sticking out of her foot. The brunette had started to say something, the men catching the name Kam, when she suddenly yanked the rock from her foot with a pained gasp.

Neither of the women noticed as the men approached them. The blonde, Kam, had taken her headband off, causing her hair to fall, and started to wrap her foot. It wasn’t until the two men had stopped in front of the women that the brunette noticed them. 

The woman visibly stiffened, her eyes widening a fraction. Kam did not seem to notice her companion's sudden unease as she studied her handiwork, moving to lower her foot when the taller of the two men spoke. 

“Well now, that looks like an infection waiting to happen.”

The woman’s head shot up with a surprised gasp, almost stumbling as she shot upright, her foot hitting the ground harder than intended.

“Shit,” Kam cursed under her breath, her brows furrowing as she looked at the cloaked figures before them.

The men didn’t know if the curse was for their sudden appearance or the pain of her foot, but judging from the slight wince, it was probably the pain.

The dark-haired girl scooted in closer to Kam, her arm moving to link with the other women's, as her body and expression relaxed minutely. 

“You two look a bit lost,” the taller of the men spoke again.

Kam’s eyes narrowed a bit as she tried to see their faces under their hats, but between the hats and the darkness, she couldn’t make out anything. She let out a huff before her face relaxed, “yeah, actually. We’ve been walking for hours now, trying to find... civilization.”

The tall man gave a chuckle, “well, the nearest town is days away, you’d die before you got there. Actually, surprised you haven’t been attacked by bandits yet.”

The brunette's eye’s widened again, “bandits?” She squeaked out, clutching her friend’s arm.

Kam looked at the two men with skepticism, “and you guys aren’t afraid of bandits?”

The tall man threw his head back in laughter, “well, some might consider us the bandits.”

Kam shifted in front the brunette slightly as she eyed the man, her expression sharpening, “I don’t know if that was a joke, sir, but if it was it was a very poor one...”

“Enough,” the shorter man barked out impatiently, silencing his partners laughs. 

The women both looked to the other man, who was now removing his straw hat. Both of their eyes widened fractionally as the rising moon lit up his face and revealed his red spinning eyes to them.

The shorter woman locked eyes with him for a second, inhaling deeply as a sense of fear washed over her. Then the man blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion and anger. 

He turned his red gaze to the blonde, meeting her eyes as they widened in disbelief. 

The two women stepped back as Kam spoke, her voice raising an octave, “What the hell is wrong with your eyes?”

The red-eyed man stepped towards them, glaring at the two women as he spoke to the man behind him, “Take them, Kisame.”

Kisame let out another chuckle, the women both getting a chill that had little to do with the cold air, “You got it.”

The women backed away as the men started to advance on them, Kam slowly prying the brunette's hand away from her arm, “Olivia, you should run.”

Olivia shook her head and squeezed her friend’s hand, her eyes wide with fear, “but you can’t run, I won't leave you.”

They heard Kisame’s voice behind them suddenly, “Sorry, no one is going anywhere.”

Startled, both women whirled around and were now face to face with the towering man.

As soon as they laid eyes on Kisame, Olivia was yanked backwards, out of Kamryn’s grasp.

“NO!” Kamryn moved to turn, putting too much pressure on her injured foot making herself stumble and fall.

“Kamryn!” Olivia cried out and Kamryn jerked her head up to watch as the red-eyed man jabbed two fingers into Olivia’s neck. Olivia’s eye widened momentarily before her whole body went limp.

Kamryn opened her mouth before she felt a sharp pain in her own neck, any sound she might have made dying in her throat as everything faded to black.

\----

Kamryn felt sick when she came to. When she opened her eyes she understood why, she was moving extremely fast. Well, was being carried was more accurate, like a sack of potatoes over the man's shoulder. She couldn’t move, actually, except for managing to wiggle in his grip.

Judging from what Kamryn could see, they must have been traveling for a few hours as pale moonlight lit up the ground flickering passed them.

She remembered what happened and guessed it to be the taller of the two men, Kisame, to be carrying her. Kamryn couldn’t open her mouth, instead drawing in deep breaths through her nose to try and ease her nausea. When that didn’t help she started squirming more.

Kisame finally must have gotten frustrated with her wiggling because he suddenly stopped, making her head spin. He pulled her off of his shoulder and let her fall on her butt in the dirt with a soft grunt.

Kamryn glared up at him, he was still wearing the large hat that kept his face hidden. He didn’t seem to be looking at her as he called out, “Go on ahead, Itachi. This one's awake, I’ll catch up in a minute.”

If the other man replied, Kam didn’t hear it. She was still glaring at the man that was towering above her seat in the dirt when he reached up to his hat, sliding it off.

Kamryn’s glare faded as she blinked up at the man. Well, he looked mostly like a man. His skin was a blue-grey color and his small white eyes were on her with a predator's focus. She took in his dark blue hair and the gill-like markings that were under his eyes. 

He grinned at her, making her stiffen at the sight of sharp teeth as he crouched down to be at eye level with her, his grin widening a fraction at the look of pure shock on her face.

“I’m surprised you’re awake, did you enjoy your beauty rest, girl?” Kamryn’s shock slowly shifted to anger as he spoke, “I suggest that you don’t struggle, though, or else I'll have to put you out again...”

He just stared at her for a moment, meeting her glare with a fleeting look of amusement.

“Nod if you would like to stay conscious, we're almost there anyway.” He stood again as he asked, Kamryn watching his rising form.

Kamryn was still for a moment. She really didn’t want to be knocked out again, and she wanted to see where these men were taking them, thinking perhaps there would be a way for her and Olivia to get away.

At her small nod, Kisame hoisted her up off the ground and back over his shoulder. Disoriented from the sudden movement, Kamyrn squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath through her nose. She still couldn't open her mouth and she figured she had to be bound somehow.

The grin could be heard in Kisame’s voice as he spoke to her again, “Hold on.”

Kamryn couldn't help but roll her eyes at the man, giving an annoyed grunt. She had to close her eyes again after he took off running, fighting back the nausea at his quick pace.

They were moving faster than she knew was possible, but she didn't want to think about that at that moment, nor did she want to think about the appearance of the man carrying her.

As much as she wanted to resist, Kamryn couldn't help but fall asleep a few minutes later. Her head had been throbbing and the wind was cold as they ran, but Kisame was warm and they were travelling rather smoothly. She figured sleeping was better than suffering her current migraine.

As she drifted off she thought of Olivia, hoping she was alright.

\----

Olivia was startled awake by being tossed to the floor unceremoniously. Pain bloomed throughout her side as she hit the hard floor with a surprised yelp.

Her eyes shot open wide, her vision blurred from both being woken abruptly and the pain of hitting the floor. She hissed in pain, her hand going to clench at her hip and tears coming to the corners of her eyes. After a few deep breaths and trying to let the pain fade away, she blinked away her blurry vision and looked around to take in her dark surroundings.

She could barely make out where she was, but could see she was in a cell of sorts. Three stone walls surrounded her with the only opening being the single wall of iron bars. The little light that was let in was from a flickering candle upon the wall opposite her cell.

Her eyes darted around the room, looking for her friend, hoping she was just hidden by the dark shadows in the corners of the room. She placed both of her palms on the rough, damp floor and pushed herself up, wincing as she did.

She opened her mouth to try and speak, but found her mouth and throat too dry to get out more than a strangled noise. She stumbled over to the iron bars of her cell, swallowing hard and trying to will some moisture to her mouth and throat. Gripping the bars tightly to support her weak body, she tried again to make a noise.

“Kamryn?” Olivia called out weakly, her voice so faint, she barely heard it herself.

After waiting a moment and getting no response, the woman slumped to the floor, still clinging to the bars. She rested her forehead against the cool bars, a shiver running down her spine as she let her eyes close again.

For a moment, she let her mind wander back to what had just transpired. She remembered the two strangers happening upon them, after Kamryn had hurt herself, then the man with his red eyes. After that was just fear, pain, and then nothing.

She closed her eyes tightly, letting her body go completely slack before letting out a hopeless sob. What she had seen had seemed impossible, but from the reaction Kamryn had given, she was sure that she was not the only one to see those demonic red eyes.

The sound of a heavy, metal door being slung open made her shoot her head up, a little too fast. She had already felt as if her head was spinning, but the sudden movement made it worse.

A dark, tall figure passed in front of her cell before she could properly process what was going on.

Standing abruptly, making sure to grip the bars tight for support, she called out. “Kamryn!” Her voice was a little louder now, echoing off the empty stone walls of the cell and corridor. 

She got no response as she stood worried in her little cell, watching the tall figure mess with something next to her cell, gnawing at her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming out again.

Olivia’s heart beat so loudly in her own chest that she barely registered the sound of a lock clicking, the cell door being opened, and the soft thump of something being placed down on the floor.

Silence filled the area momentarily, Olivia’s heart beat now pounding in her ears, the near deafening sound making her close her eyes tightly.

“Olivia?” The familiar voice made Olivia release the breath that she held, her eyes opening back up quickly. The voice was weak, but it was unmistakably Kamryn. 

The door to Kamryn’s cell was shut before she could even think of getting to her feet. Her head spun from moving so much, so quickly. She struggled to push herself off the cold floor as she fought the bile that was threatening to rise in her throat.

Olivia called out to Kamryn once again, the sound of her voice making Kamryn stumble her way to the cell door on wobbly knees. All thoughts of her surroundings being ignored, only thinking of her younger friend, she finally managed to clutch at the bars of her cell. Her blurry vision focused on the tall figure that still stood before the bars, her brows furrowing as she, once again, took in the odd blue features of the man.

Ignoring him, she quickly looked passed the man and searched for Olivia, but became disheartened when she could only see empty stone wall and flickering candles. Panic bubbled in her chest and her eyes darted back to the blue man, realizing it to be the man that had carried her before.

“What’s going on?” Kamryn’s face twisted into a scowl as she glared up at Kisame, trying to sound demanding, but her voice coming out weak and broken.

Kisame looked down at her with what almost seemed to be pity, no trace of the toothy grin he had, had before.

“Look, girl, I don’t know anything about what's happening, I’m just following orders.” He shrugged his shoulders, “And even if I did, I probably wouldn't be telling you. All I can say is that you’ve got one powerful man's attention and managed to royally piss off another. So, be prepared for the worst.”

Kamryn’s grip on the bars tightened as she continued to glare up at him, her body tensing at his warning, “We haven’t done anything to warrant anyone’s attention.”

Kisame just shrugged again to this, still giving Kamryn that same look of faint pity.

Olivia couldn’t help but stiffen as she overheard the exchange, the conversation happening before she could let her friend know she was alright. She let out a shaky breath and spoke, trying to ignore what Kisame had said.

“Kamryn, I’m right over here, I’m alright.” She tried to keep her voice even, masking the fear she felt so that her motherly friend wouldn't be sent into more of a panic. She moved to the very edge of her cell and stuck her arm out as far as she could, hoping Kamryn could see it. 

At this distance, Olivia could more clearly make out the man who stood in front of the cell beside her own. She took in a sharp breath of shock through her nose as his features became clearer. His gaze landed on her momentarily, his small white eyes shocking her and causing her to jerk her arm back into the relative safety of her cell.

Kisame’s eyes narrowed in on the petite girls' form, a smirk forming on his face at her reaction.

“I’ll leave you two ladies alone for now. Someone else may be by in a bit, though”, turning away from the cells and the women, he raised his hand in a farewell, “Have fun”

He gave a deep chuckle as he walked out of the dungeonesque room, the door shutting solidly behind him.

Olivia reached back out of her cell as soon as the door shut, “Kamryn?”

When Kamryn’s hand reached out of the cell next to her and grasped her own Olivia felt herself sag slightly in relief.

“Liv, are you okay? You aren’t hurt?”

“No, I’m okay. What about you, that... man didn’t hurt you did he?”

Kamryn let out a sigh, shifting slightly to reach her friend better, giving her hand a small reassuring squeeze. She winced as she put pressure on her injured foot, her foot throbbing slightly and seemingly reminding her that the gash needed attention.

“I’m fine. Just that cut on my foot, he didn’t do anything.”

Olivia bit her lip, anxiously looking towards the door that Kisame had left through, “What are we going to do?”

“I- I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s happening or what these people want from us.”

Olivia frowned, “Our luck we are going to be forced into a cult.”

A scowl formed on Kamryn’s face but before she could reply, she heard footsteps echoing behind the door.

“Liv, behave, be polite, and quiet. We just need to do what they say and figure out how to get out of here, okay?”

Kamryn gave Olivia’s hand one more squeeze before letting it go. Olivia pulled her arm back into the cell and wrapped her arms around herself just as the door opened.

A woman with her hair styled up in a bun walked into the room. She wore the same cloak as the two men that kidnapped them. As she approached their cells, Olivia took in the pretty flower in her blue hair that seemed to clash with her stern yet attractive features.

She stopped between the cells at a point where both the women could see her, taking a second to look over each of them as they watched her cautiously.

“Ladies, there is no reason for you to be so tense. We have no intentions of harming you... unless you give us good reason to, that is.”

Kamryn’s eyes narrowed at the woman, her back straightening as she tried to appear more confident and at ease. To the woman, though, it was obvious that she was clearly more guarded and apprehensive.

Olivia’s demeanor changed little, hugging herself tighter at the veiled threat of the woman in front of them. 

Noticing that neither of the captured women were relaxing and that her words seemed to have made them more on edge, she let out a soft exhale through her nose.

Kamryn tried to hide her scowl from the woman, “Why are we here? Why take us?”

“If you don’t already know, then you don’t need to know.” She watched each of them as she spoke, observing their expressions closely. “We would like to know what business you have in our territory, though.”

“What are you talking about?” Olivia couldn’t stop the words from blurting from her mouth, her brows furrowing in frustration. “We don’t even know how we got here, much less where we are. We don’t have any  _ business _ here.” Her teeth gritted as she soon realized she might have made a mistake by talking that way to the woman and she took a small step backwards. Her already stern gaze had narrowed in on her, making her look even more threatening, and causing a shiver to run down Olivia’s spine.

Kamryn’s jaw clenched at Olivia’s outburst, watching worriedly as the woman focused on her younger friend. She took a step toward the cell bars, hoping to lessen the woman’s focus on Olivia.

The woman stood silently for a moment after Olivia finished speaking, her intense gaze not leaving the younger woman until her mouth set into a grim line and her eyes flickered over to Kamryn. “Do you have anything else to add to that...?” 

Kamryn held the woman’s gaze as she responded, trying to convey their honesty, “We really don’t know where we are, we were just trying to find our way out of the woods. We didn’t realize we were trespassing on anyone’s property.”

The women's gaze lingered on Kamryn before she looked away from the both of them completely. “Ok.” That was all she said as she turned away from the two and left them alone again, leaving them both a little stunned.   
  



	3. Questionable Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little better, but not much clearer... Then they kind of seem like they're about to get worse!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is being posted pretty soon after the last chapter <.<  
> I hope you all like it and I hope we can get to posting more often!  
> As always, comments and kudos help up to write! XD

What seemed like hours had passed since the blue haired woman had left Kamryn and Olivia alone. In those hours the two had talked and tried to make sense of what was happening. Olivia’s emotions were all over the place while Kamryn attempted to stay calm, trying to keep them both level headed and thinking rationally. 

The two had finally managed to calm down when the door opened suddenly, catching the women off guard and sending a flutter of anxiety through Olivia.

The blue haired woman appeared before them once again. Just as she did before, she stood silently in front of the cells, observing the two. Neither of the women had moved from their sitting positions on the floor, they just stared up at her, waiting.

“You have two options.” The woman’s voice cut through the silence. “You can help us, and in return we will help you, and get you out of these cells... Or, you spend the remainder of your days in here."

Kamryn looked away from the woman with a frown, very clearly hearing the threat in her words and knowing there was really only one option that resulted in living past a week.

Olivia took in a sharp breath, her hand clutching at the bathing suit cover-up she was now using to keep the cold off of her legs. The choice was obvious for her, she would choose to live, no matter what these people asked of her. She was sure that later on she could always make the decision to not help them, even if that meant the end of her life.

With a gulp, Olivia nodded her head at the woman, hoping that her choice had been conveyed with just that, because she couldn’t bring herself to speak. The woman simply gave the smallest dip of her own head in reply, her eyes moving to Kamryn as she waited for her answer.

Kamryn bit the inside of her cheek nervously as she watched the woman nod towards Olivia’s cell. When the woman met her gaze, Kamryn gave her own nod, “We’ll help.”

The faintest smile could be seen on the woman’s face, but any traces of it were gone in an instant. “Good,” she made a quick, strange, gesture with her hands and turned away from them. “You can follow me.”

Olivia did not hesitate to push herself off the ground, her numb legs only giving her a little trouble as she took the two steps to the cell door. The woman did not come to unlock the door, only walked back to the exit, turning to wait. Olivia stared at the woman for a second, before she gestured her hand outward, signaling her to simply push the door open.

Kamryn listened to Olivia getting up as she looked at her wrapped foot, taking a deep breath she carefully got to her feet. Kamryn couldn’t help letting out a hiss of pain as she stepped forward to her cell door.

Olivia had already begun to push open her own cell door as she heard Kamryn’s sudden expression of pain. Her anxiety turned into a slight panic as she remembered Kamryn’s injury, cursing under her breath she quickly made her way over to the cell adjacent her own.

Kamryn managed to limp over to the door, bracing herself against the cell wall as her foot started to throb painfully.

Olivia pushed the door to Kamryn’s cell open, but did not enter, “Are you alright?” Her eyes went from her friends pained expression to her wrapped foot. She wasn’t used to being the one to take care of someone else, and didn’t know what she should do in this situation.

“I’ll be fine, just need your help to walk.” Kamryn held her arm out for the younger woman to assist her.

Olivia moved to support Kamryn as best she could and the two of them made their way out of the cell and towards the blue haired woman. 

After a quick glance to be sure that they were following, the woman turned and opened the door; gracefully ascending the staircase that was behind the door.

Kamryn followed with Olivia’s help, slowly and clumsily making their way to the top where their guide patiently waited. Kamryn could feel the woman’s cool gaze track their slow progress.

Finally at the top of the stairs, both women were already fatigued. The little amount of uncomfortable sleep they had been getting, the stress of everything that was happening, all of it was beginning to take its toll on the two. Olivia could feel the exhaustion seeping into her bones and, glancing at her friend, Kamryn didn’t seem to be doing much better as she sagged slightly against the brunette.

“I will show you to where you will both be staying. I will also send someone to look at your injury. It is clear you need to rest, so we will discuss what you need to know later.”

It was quiet again as the three women made their way through the halls. Olivia nervously glanced about their surroundings as they continued through several winding hallways, noting the numerous doors they passed.

When they finally stopped in front of a door, Kamryn felt exhausted. It had taken all of her concentration to not stumble or lean too heavily on the smaller woman supporting her. The pain in her foot had built up to the point where the slightest pressure sent a jolt of pain up her leg. 

Olivia grimaced as she took in the tired frown on Kamryn’s face before looking up at the blue haired woman as she opened the door. The room they entered was spacious and simple: two twin sized beds, two night stands, a dresser, and one big bookshelf. There was also a window on the opposite side of the room from where they stood, it was fogged over, but a few rays of light hit it, illuminating the window panes. The room had one other door and briefly Olivia wondered if it was a closet or a bathroom, but could not linger on the thought too long as Kamryn suddenly leaned a little heavier on her.

The woman that led them to the room took note of Kamryn sagging against Olivia suddenly and Kamryn could no longer mask her pained expression, grimacing hard. 

“You should probably lie down.” The woman gestured to one of the beds, “If you’re to be useful to us, we can’t have you injured beyond repair.”

Kamryn was in too much pain to react to the woman’s remark, but Olivia did not like the thought of only being helped because they might be ‘useful’. She had no choice though, and without reluctance, moved her friend gently over to one of the beds.

As soon as Kamryn felt her thigh bump the edge of the bed, she collapsed onto the soft surface, letting out a pained groan and closing her eyes tightly. Olivia sat on the edge of the bed next to Kamryn, grasping her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

“Is someone going to be here to help with her foot soon?” Olivia asked. She was uneasy in this situation and not comfortable asking questions, but she needed to make sure that Kamryn would be taken care of as soon as possible.

The blue haired woman answered from where she stood in the doorway, “I’ll be back in just a moment.” She nodded as she spoke, turning on her heels and briskly walking down the hall.

As soon as her footsteps faded, Olivia looked back down to Kamryn who gave a heavy sigh, brow furrowing, as she tried to relax a little. Kamryn pressed her head back into the pillow she was laying on, a hint of a smile gracing her features, “If my damn foot didn’t hurt so much, this bed would be really comfortable.” She looked up to Olivia, who's worried expression made her sigh again. “I’m fine. It hurts, but it's nothing too bad. If we were back home...” She paused for a second, but continued on, “I wouldn't even go to the doctor for this, because it's not that bad.” She made a point of repeating herself, trying to calm down her younger friend. 

Even while in pain, Kamryn was still trying to be reassuring, but this just made Olivia’s frown deepen. “It’s not fine. It’s so  _ deep. _ We’ll be lucky if it doesn’t get infected and you lose your foot!”

Kamryn knew Olivia couldn’t help but be over dramatic and began to roll her eyes at her and tell her she was wrong, but the pair were interrupted by someone clearing their throat at the door. Both women looked over, finding a strange man standing there. Olivia’s eyes widened a fraction, but Kamryn was too tired to show any physical shock at his appearance. 

His skin was a deep bronze color and his dark black hair fell past his jaw line, some of it in his eyes, and he was tall. Nearly as tall as the even stranger looking man that had carried Kamryn to her cell. But those details were all relatively normal. What made Olivia pale was that the whites of his eyes were black and the distinct lack of pupils in his vivid green eyes. There were also what looked like large stitches along his cheeks, peeking out over the black cloth that was masking his face.

The man’s strange eyes looked over both of the girls briefly, before landing on the tattered cloth that covered Kamryn’s wounded foot. It was completely brown, from both dirt and dried blood, but the walking they had just done was causing more fresh blood to seep out onto the fabric. 

The man tutted at them as he took a few steps into the room, the girls both squeezed the others hand lightly as he approached, squatting down at the end of the bed to get a closer look at Kamryn’s foot.

“Do you have any idea how much medical supplies cost?” He let out an almost bored sigh, his eyes drifting back up to Kamryn’s face.

Olivia was a little taken back by his words, opening her mouth to respond, eyes flickering from him to the same blue haired woman that was now standing in the door. “We don’t have any money…?” Her tone wavered a little as she spoke.

The man looked at her blankly for a second, then over his shoulder to the woman in the door. “Konan, where did you get these two idiots?”

Both of the women blinked at him, confusion written on their faces. The woman called Konan just sighed, shaking her head. “Just patch her up Kakuzu,” she shifted her gaze to Olivia, “You’re not required to pay in money, don’t worry.”

Despite it sounding like that was supposed to be reassuring, Olivia couldn’t help but give a small gulp, but choose not to say anything more on the subject.

Kakuzu just shook his head, mumbling something under his breath, the words too gruff and deep to make out. “This may sting a little,” He glanced up at Kamryn before reaching his hand out to pull away the cloth covering the wound. It stuck to the dried blood on her foot and she let out a hiss of pain as he peeled it off, some of the scab coming with it and making it bleed a little more.

Kamryn squeezed Olivia’s hand tightly, panic crossing Olivia’s face as he was pulling the cloth away.

“You should make yourself useful and go get a towel and a wet rag.” Kakuzu spoke without looking up at Olivia, his eyes looking over the wound. He dropped the cloth on the floor beside the bed, digging one hand in the little medical bag he had brought in with him, pulling out a glove.

Olivia hesitated, watching him, then looking up at Konan. After he snapped the glove on, his dark gaze moved to her, “Well? Do you think I was talking to myself?”

Shock crossed Olivia’s face, “N-no.” She stuttered out, standing from the bed and giving Kamryn’s hand one last squeeze before she let go. “I just don’t know where that stuff is.”

His gaze on her didn’t move and he didn’t say anything, making her feel even more nervous. She took a shaky breath and looked to Konan, who gave her the smallest nod of acknowledgement before gesturing to the other, closed door in the room.

Olivia’s mouth formed a small ‘O’ and she moved around the bed to go to the door, opening it to find a small, simple bathroom. She quickly located the stack of towels and rags, grabbing two of each, and wetting one of the rags in the sink.

With the armful, Olivia hurried back over to the bed, where the man had started to poke at the wound, causing Kamryn to let out periodic hisses as she gritted her teeth to stiffle louder noises of pain.

The man gestured for her to set down the pile on the edge of the bed, “There should be a basin of some sort too, fill that with warm water.” Olivia just nodded to his command, going back into the bathroom to fetch the water.

While Olivia was doing that, Kakuzu placed one of the towels under Kamryn’s foot and started to use the wet rag to clean the wound a little.

While wiping away blood and debris from the surface he started to talk, “Young people these days don’t take care of their body. You know if you don’t have a foot, life is going to be very hard, right?” He never looked up from his work, turning the rag to the cleanest part every few swipes.

Kamryn barely had the strength to respond, it hurt like hell and she was busy trying not to flinch away from his hands, “I’m not usually this bad.” She gave him a weak smile that probably was more of a grimace. He glanced up at her briefly, not pausing in his work. “Hm.”

A few seconds later Olivia came back with a bowl full of water, sloshing a bit on the floor in her haste. She sat the bowl down beside him and he immediately dunked the cloth in it, not paying the younger woman any mind. He swished the rag around in the water a little, turning the water a murky color with flecks of dirt and rock floating around. He rung the rag out a little before going back and dabbing at the wound again.

Blood was still very slowly oozing out, but it was getting cleaner by the second. After wiping her foot this time, he just dropped the rag into the bowl and reached in his bag. “Go change the water out and get more rags.” He spoke aloud, again not looking up from his work.

He pulled out a little bottle with a nozzle that was filled with a clear liquid. He grabbed up the remaining clean rag and uncapped the nozzle, “This part is going to sting like hell. Especially if the rest of this was painful for you.”

Kam frowned but nodded, her eyes meeting his strange ones briefly before he squirted the liquid on the wound. Kamryn was only able to take a quick, sharp breath before she could no longer hold in a cry of pain. Her hands clenched the bed sheets and her body stiffened, letting out a whine and closing her eyes so tight she saw stars.

Olivia was just heading back toward Kakuzu when Kamryn cried out. Shocked, she looked up at her friend, stumbling a little and narrowly avoided dropping the bowl. She stood still for a moment just staring at her friend, but Kakuzu curtly gestured for her to bring the bowl to him, and her feet began to move again.

Kakuzu finished squirting the clear liquid into the wound, setting the bottle down, but the stinging still resonated up Kamryn’s leg. She let out another loud hiss when he pressed a cool, wet cloth to the wound, but found some relief in it. She cracked open one of her eyes, looking down at him. 

“Alright,” Kakuzu snapped off the gloves, his hands going to hover over the sole of her foot. “You can go hold her hand now or whatever it is you want to do.” He spoke to Olivia, who nodded quickly and made her way back to the side of the bed to grasp Kamryn’s hand.

Kamryn took another deep breath, pressing her head into the pillow as she waited for more pain. Olivia watched Kakuzu’s hands intently and then suddenly, they began to glow.

Just seconds after his hands began glowing, his brow furrowed. The glowing ceased and he let out a curse, “What the hell?” He rolled his shoulders and repositioned his hands and they started to glow again. 

The glow increased slightly and so did the frustration on his face. Konan walked over closer behind Kakuzu, “Is something wrong?”

Kakuzu let out a ‘tsk’, shaking his head, “Apparently. The damn thing won’t heal.” 

His words caused Konan to look down at Kamryn’s food curiously, “That’s… odd.”

Everyone in the room was silent for a second, Kamryn and Olivia both looking at Kakuzu in amazed confusion, Konan and Kakuzu looking at Kamryn’s foot like she had just sprouted a new one.

“Well… Itachi had mentioned…” Konan trailed off, obviously thinking over something very intently. “I think you’re just going to have to stitch it closed. Give her something for the pain this time… And don’t do a hack job of it, she needs to make a full recovery.”

Kakuzu grumbled, “Fine.” He dug into the medical bag, pulling out a little bottle of medicine and a capped syringe. Uncapping the syringe, he drew a little of the medication, “Ok, this will sting again, but you should be fine from here on out… You can  _ both _ unclench…”

While he was doing this, Konan left the room in a bit of a hurry, but neither Kam or Olivia seemed to notice as they watched Kakuzu closely.

Without warning, Kakuzu pressed the tip of the needle into the flesh of Kamryn’s sole. He injected only a little and in a few places. Kamryn winced a little, but the pain was nothing compared to before, and soon almost all the pain from the surface of her foot was gone. She felt a dull throbbing and a bit of pain further up on her ankle and leg, but nothing too bad.

Kakuzu set the needle down on the towel, digging into his bag to get some gauze and supplies to stitch up the wound. “Here we go.” He glanced up to them one last time before he started to sew up the gash. Slight feeling seemed to rise every little bit, but he quickly snuffed it out with a few more small injections.

It wasn’t much later that Kakuzu made Olivia clean up the rest of Kamryn’s foot and before wrapping it in bandage. He stood slowly and popped his neck before turning to head out the door.

Kamryn sat up quickly, “Hey, wait!”

He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her, “Hm?”

“What...what did you try to do? You know, when your hand was glowing. What was that?”

Green and black eyes narrowed at her. He stared at her for a minute, Kamryn pursing her lips as she met his gaze. 

“I was trying to use a healing jutsu.” His reply was gruff and curt, which just seemed to be how he was, as he turned away again and headed for the door.

Kamryn’s brow furrowed at his response but she managed to call out to him before he shut the door behind him, “Thank you!”

They could hear him give a brief “Hm” before the door clicked shut behind him.

“What the  _ fuck _ is a healing jutsu?”

Glancing over at her bewildered friend, Kamryn shrugged before her eyes went back to the door. “Hell if I know. I’m guessing it was supposed to help heal my foot? They seemed pretty surprised it didn’t work, though…”

“His hands were  _ glowing _ , Kam! What the hell is going on?”

Turning to face her fully, Kamryn gave Olivia a stern look, “Breathe, Livvy. I don’t know what is going on or what that was but we need to be calm. I’m sure that Konan lady will be back and we can get some answers then, but we clearly can’t do anything about the situation right now.” She placed her hand on Olivia’s arm and gave a gentle squeeze, “For now we should rest while we can.”

Olivia took a deep breath, exhaling and giving her friend a weak smile, “Yeah… sorry, Kam. Just… this is freaking crazy.”

“Extremely,” Kamryn smiled. “You should go check the dressers for some clothes, if there is a bathroom we are taking advantage of it. You smell.”

The brunette scoffed and shot her a playful glare as she walked to the dressers, “That’s all you, you smell like roadkill.” 

“Oh, I don’t doubt it.”

Olivia opened the top drawer, a pleased grin spreading on her face as she pulled out a plain black tank top. It looked to be too big but it was better than parading around in basically their underwear. She quickly pulled out another before closing the drawer and opening the one below it. “Jackpot!” She pulled out a couple pairs of dark gray sweatpants. Olivia walked back over to Kamryn and laid the clothes on the bed.

Looking at Kamryn, Olivia gestured at the clothes, “Plain and probably too big, but they look comfy and it will be one hundred percent warmer than our swimsuits.”

Kamryn smiled to Olivia, nodding, “First we should probably wash up. Was their a tub in there? I probably shouldn't get this wet.” She pointed to her wrapped up foot, grimacing a little as she flexed her toes and felt a slight pang run up her leg.

Olivia frowned, watching Kamryn wince slightly, “Yeah, we can prop it up. We’ll figure something out.” She held her hand out to Kamryn, who smiled up at her friend from where she still lay in the bed.

Taking Olivia’s hand, she pulled herself up more and into a sitting position. She let out a long sigh, “Are you going to be alright helping me in and out of the tub? If I  _ really _ have to, I can just wash off with a rag or something.”

Olivia just shook her head, “I’m helping. You don’t always get to be the supportive mama bear, sometimes you have to let other people help you.” Olivia smiled, “I’ll go bring the clothes in the bathroom and make sure things are situated first. Hang tight.”

Olivia quickly got everything ready and helped Kamryn towards the bath. It was a little more difficult than anticipated, but they got it done without any major incidents.

Soon, the two of them were back in the bedroom, both of them sprawled out on the soft mattresses, finally feeling like they could relax just a bit. For a brief moment Kamryn felt that she might have even drifted off, but a hard knock on the door startled the both of them.

Olivia jolted upright, her tired legs swinging off the edge of the bed, but before her feet even touched the ground the door opened. 

Konan was standing in the doorway, having shed the bulky black and red cloak from before, “I see you two have made yourselves comfortable.” She looked over the two of them, her gaze stopping on Kamryn last. “How is your foot?”

Kamryn nodded to Konan as she pushed herself up on her elbows. “It's still there, so that's something.”

“It certainly is.” Konan said back dryly, but Kamryn could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile on Konan’s face. Konan took a few steps in the room, following behind her was the man that had carried Olivia to wherever they were. He had a scowl on his pale face, dark eyes glaring, but not looking at either of them directly.

“As you know, we have questions. We know that you do to. Right now, you’re safe, no need to panic or withhold information…” Konan paused, having noticed the stifled horror on Olivia’s face and followed her gaze to Itachi. “And he won’t be able to hurt you, so no need to worry.”

The woman sent a silent command to the man, his glare softening, but not changing to anything much friendlier. Olivia let out a shaky breath, trying to relax, her eyes never leaving the man, making sure to keep a close eye on everything he did.

Kamryn eyed her friend, turning her gaze towards Itachi and then Konan. She pursed her lips, not exactly comfortable with the pale man’s presence either, “Alright. Let’s talk, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we started to write this chapter in DECEMBER, right after we finished chapter two. We only got like a few paragraphs in though, then yesterday we wrote 3000+ words just in one day x.x  
> I doubt we can keep up this pace, but as I said before, I really hope we can get a good steady flow of posts!


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